1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to pumping systems that are used with catheters for drawing fluids and other viscous materials from a body, such as may be required during certain medical procedures. More specifically, the present invention concerns a pumping system wherein cyclical reversals of pumping pressure are applied to the catheter connected thereto to have negative and positive pressure cyclically alternated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of catheter suction units for removing fluids and other viscous materials from a body is a conventional medical procedure.
Prior art suction units presently in use essentially involve a catheter to which is connected a suction pump for applying negative pressure thereto. Fluids in which the tip of the catheter is immersed are thereby drawn through the catheter into a vacuum bottle or other reservoir provided as a collector. Mucous membrane and viscous materials such as phlegm may also be drawn by such suction units. As may be expected, the tip of the catheter frequently becomes clogged by such viscous materials. Clearing normally requires that the catheter be withdrawn and washed in an appropriate solution. Suction is obviously halted during such cleaning procedure.
The drawing of mucous membrane into the catheter is further undesirable due to the resulting traumatic injury to mucosal surfaces from which mucous membrane is torn.
The problem of clogging and traumatic injury has been in the past sought to be solved by the design and use of catheters having more than a single aperture at its tip. As an example, a catheter presently being widely used includes a pair of apertures placed in the side walls near the tip of the catheter. The pair of side apertures ostensibly permits continuous suction through the catheter in the event that the tip aperture becomes clogged by mucous membrane or other globular materials that may be drawn. However, experience with the multi-aperture catheters has revealed that clogging is not prevented and suction efficiency is somewhat decreased due to the reduction in the suction vacuum by the side apertures. Further, the tearing of mucous membrane continues to be a problem.
It is accordingly the intention of the present invention to provide a pumping system for catheter suction units wherein the catheter is self-cleaning, the occurrance of traumatic injury due to the tearing of mucous membrane is reduced, and suction vacuum can be maximized by the use of a single-ended catheter. It is a further intention of the subject invention to provide a suction system which allows a mist of detergent, enzymatic fluid, or other fluids to be controllably ejected through the catheter to dissolve viscous materials such as phlegm to facilitate the suction thereof.